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Taiyo Kea annonced that he will officially be returning to All Japan Pro-Wrestling. Kea took a hiatus back in January of this year to head back to his home in Hawaii to begin studying business administration.

Taiyo Kea has been an active member of All Japan Pro-Wrestling since his debut in 1994 and has stated that his “spirit is with All Japan forever”.

All Japan Pro-Wrestling announced the 12 competitors that will be involved in this years Champion Carnival tournament. The 2013 Champion Carnival tournament is set to begin on April 18th, at Korakuen Hall, and will end with the Finals on April 29th, also at Korakuen Hall. There will be semi-finals held for this tournament, with the 2 highest ranked wrestlers per block, via points, will move on to the semi’s.

The tournament will be held under PWF rules, which are similar to the point system used in TNA’s Bound for Glory Series. Regular block matches will be conducted under a 30 min. time limit with the semi-finals and final match held under no time limit. 2 points will be awarded to the winner of the match, 1 point will be awarded for a draw, and 0 points will be given for a loss, double ring out, or no contest.

All Japan Pro-Wrestling recently conducted their annual “rookie audition” and announced that they have signed 3 young talents to begin training for them. This is only the beginning for the three chosen guys who will move into the AJPW dorms and begin their road to their eventual debuts. The three wrestlers are listed below with a little information about each.

石坂 ブライアン Brian Ishizaka:

Born: August 20, 1989

Size: 166cm / 75kg

From: Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Extra Info: trained in the Animal Hamaguchi Gym for 4 years. His previous athletic training is in Basketball and Judo. [Pictured Left]

池宮 奏 Sou Ikemiya

Born: March 28, 1992

Size: 175cm / 83kg

From: Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Extra Info: Sou is noted at being a multi-sport athlete. [Pictured Middle]

西山 翔貴 Shouki Nishiyama

Born: September 23, 1994

Size: 175cm / 70kg

From: Mie Prefecture, Japan

Extra Info: His previous athletic training is in Rugby and Judo. [Pictured Right]

5 former Pro-Wrestling NOAH talents, Jun Akiyama, Go Shiozaki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Kotaro Suzuki and Atsushi Aoki, announced their return to pro wrestling to compete for All Japan Pro-Wrestling. The former NOAH wrestlers will be going forward under the team name, BURNING, which was appropriated honored to them by Kobashi. They’ve come to take charge of AJPW. All 5 of the men appeared during the January 26th show and announced that they will be competing for the promotion in February and possibly longer. All of them shook hands with AJPW’s President, Masayuki Uchida. This will be an interesting shake up for All Japan Pro-Wrestling; It’ll be very interesting to see how Pro-Wrestling NOAH continues to cope with the now permanent loss of these talents.

Tatsumi Fujinami and Seiya Sanada held a public practice in the All Japan Pro-Wrestling Dojo in preparation for their upcoming match against Ric Flair & Keiji Mutoh on January 26th. During the practice, Fujinami helped show Sanada the finer points of the Dragon Sleeper and even the Figure Four Leg Lock. This will mark the first time for Sanada to team with Fujinami and it seems that Fujinami has given his full endorsement to the up and comer.

Sanada will have a lot to prove by being surrounded in the ring by legends, but at the same time it is a huge opportunity for him to get noticed as well. Sanada has previously mentioned that this is a huge clash of legends who he has idolized throughout his career. His style is greatly built off of Fujinami & Mutoh, and Sanada says that he has always enjoyed watching Flair’s in ring style. This is definitely a dream come true for the 24 year old.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced that BUSHI is now an official part of the NJPW roster, from now on. BUSHI was originally sent to NJPW on loan from All Japan Pro-Wrestling with the possibility of him getting signed full time, if things went well. Both the president of NJPW, Naoki Sugabayashi, and the president of AJPW, Masayuki Uchida, were present for the announcement.

BUSHI says that he has nothing but gratitude for his time in All Japan Pro-Wrestling, but he is proud to wear the lion mark (on his t-shirt) as a member of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. BUSHI also said he plans to work hard to prove himself again since the trial period is over.